IUT Montpellier - Sète

VOCATIONAL BACHELOR’S DEGREE: PURCHASING AND SUPPLY MANAGEMENT

Study track: Purchasing Management in the Public Sector (LP GASP)

The Vocational Bachelor’s degree (LP) aims to help students graduate with a Bachelor’s level degree (180 credits) and pursue public and private sector careers in purchasing and supply. Students can also pass the civil service exam (for B and C category jobs in the French civil service). The course is available as either a classic training option or work-study programme.

Skills

What are the skills and abilities needed to become a buyer or purchaser?

  • Fulfilling the role of (ethical and legal) mediator within a work environment.
  • Dealing with information (in French and in English) regarding the purchasing process (synthesising, doing presentations and writing invitations to tender) all while being curious, ethical, and meticulous and showing good analytical, listening, speaking and writing skills.  
  • Including purchasing in a company’s marketing, financial and legal strategy. 
  • Implementing a purchasing strategy, from analysing the company’s needs to improving the purchasing process, all while demonstrating autonomy. 
  • Defining and managing new projects surrounding purchasing issues for a particular service.

Careers

Graduates from this course can pursue careers in purchasing divisions in both the public and private sectors:

  • Buyer,
  • Purchaser – supplier,
  • Purchasing manager,

Course content

Fitting into the work environment:

  • Purchasing ethics and conduct,
  • Public administration organisation and legislation,
  • Civil service careers and exams.

Including purchasing in a company’s marketing, financial and legal strategy:

  • Marketing for purchasing,
  • Strategic marketing for purchasing,
  • Public accounting,
  • Financial assessment of the purchasing strategy, 
  • Government procurement law.

Implementing a purchasing strategy, from analysing the company’s needs to improving the purchasing process, all while demonstrating autonomy:

  • Managing interpersonal relationships,
  • Negotiation techniques and operationalising the act of purchasing,
  • English, Computing and Purchasing,
  • Government procurement procedure law,
  • Managing the customer-supplier relationship, Sourcing,
  • Operationalising the act of purchasing, Purchase logistics and supply, Purchasing process and quality, Internship.

Defining and managing projects (Project management + Group projects)

Structure

How is the course structured?

Work-study programme:

The course comprises 450 hours of training, 120 hours on group projects and 15 weeks of classes at the IUT, along with 30 weeks working for a company (16 of which are dedicated to a professional mission, i.e. completing sales without help).

NB: Around 15 work-study contracts are signed each year.

Classic training:

You can earn 60 European credits (ECTS) upon graduating from this bachelor’s level course. The course comprises a total of 430 hours of classes, 120 hours of group projects and a 16-week internship. 

The group projectsmust focus on a question surrounding purchasing put forward by either companies or the teaching staff. The project defence takes place at the end of the 5thsemester. 

The internshipaims to prepare students for careers as buyers, purchasers, or suppliers.Students can pass accreditations of prior experiences. 

NB: There are very few spots available for the classic training option for this course.

For both options: a week of test preparation classesfor civil service exams (local governments, hospitals, universities…) is also provided as part of the course.

The course is taught by both university professors and visiting professionals.

how to apply

Click here to find all information

Professional integration

What is the professional integration rate for this course?

Professional integration amongst the last three year groups: 

  • 50 % in the public sector (Purchasing divisions: in town halls, hospitals, the French Ministry of Armed Forces…),
  • 25% in the private sector (Purchasing manager in a retirement home, on a campsite…),
  • 25 % of students continue studying after the course (master’s in Procurement Management).